Stewart v. United States
366 U.S. 1 · Decided April 24, 1961 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Stewart v. United States was decided on April 24, 1961 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Self-incrimination (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 366 U.S. 1 · 81 S. Ct. 941 · 6 L. Ed. 2d 84 · 1961 U.S. LEXIS 1266
- Docket number
- 143
- Decided
- April 24, 1961
- Argued
- February 21, 1961
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Self-incrimination (general)
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Full case caption
Stewart v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1960-078, docket 1960-078-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Self-incrimination (general)”
- Cohen v. Hurley
- Scott v. California
- Hutcheson v. United States
- Shotwell Manufacturing Co. v. United States
- Namet v. United States
- Knapp v. Schweitzer
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- Slagle v. Ohio
- McPhaul v. United States
- Mills v. Louisiana
- Stevens v. Marks
- Slochower v. Board of Higher Education of New York CityLaw held unconstitutional
- Miranda v. ArizonaAltered precedent
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Scott v. California
- Reina v. United States
- Callanan v. United States
- Carbo v. United States
- Campbell v. United States
- McNeal v. Culver
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error